SCRIP-BITS

Oh Friends, oh Friends, through divine blessing we’re still alive and kicking this beautiful Sunday morning. Wow! All thanks and praise to our most wonderful God! And so to honour His bountiful blessings and mercies in our own small way, let’s all be grateful and say: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we will, we shall, and we are definitely going to rejoice in it!’ Let’s get all those tenses in there. (smile) Yes mih people, what’s the purpose of God blessing us with the breath of life if we don’t enjoy it eh? None whatsoever! And to further infuse us with God’s desire and purpose, here’s a rather appropriate quote, attributed to Antoine de St. Exupery (1900-1944) the French writer and pilot.  It says: ‘In these times one must write with one’s life. This is the challenge to all of us.’ Oh my brethren, those are words of infallible truth! We’re all supposed to make a difference with our lives, but even more so in difficult, trying and tumultuous times like we’re currently experiencing. That’s when the Spirit of Christ has to rise up in us, above and beyond everything we’ve ever done, so that His Church can be strengthened and His kingdom furthered. In good times that’s fairly easy since everyone’s happy and joyful. In times of God’s abundance and prosperity, everyone’s singing His praises. But when things turn sour, for whatever reason(s), like they are now, that’s another story. Everybody becomes gloomy and miserable, conveniently forgetting God, His Word, and all They encompass. But Friends, that’s the time when we need Them the most, for it’s only God and His Word that will keep us steadfast and strong in a mad, evil world, and help us ride out the rough times, as well as enable us to eventually return to health and prosperity. Oh Friends, everything in our human sphere revolves around God and His Word! If They aren’t front and centre in our lives, then our lives fall out of balance, out of sync. It’s the ballast that keeps our ship from aimlessly drifting towards some rocky shore, keeps us on a straight and true course. Now all of that is only possible because of what Jesus says in our Bit: ‘And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.’ That’s gospel my people! If all things weren’t possible with God, then He’d be undependable and we wouldn’t need Him. But because all things are possible with Him that’s why He’s God; the ONE and ONLY TRUE God! And if we don’t believe that, then I’m sorry for us, because it’s our overwhelming disbelief and disobedience to Jehovah God that’s the main reason for our world presently being in such a terrible state. But enough of me, let’s hear what the Good Book has to say on the topic. Now listen to the very first sentence on the very first page. ‘In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.’ (Gen.1:1) Oh Friends, that tells us that our God is truly a mighty Deity, able to do all sorts of wonderful, superhuman, miraculous things! Just read the first two chapters of Genesis and you’ll realize how powerful the God we worship is. In fact He’s so powerful that He’s considered omnipotent; all-powerful, none else in the entire universe as powerful as Him. Now hear the psalmist state His case: ‘Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall all perish, but thou shalt endure (continue): yea, all of them shall wax (grow) old like a garment; as a vesture (cloak) shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed. But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.’ (Ps.102:25-27) Meanwhile Nehemiah said it thus: ‘Thou, even thou, art Lord alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshipeth thee.’ (Neh.9:6) Then Jeremiah enthusiastically proclaimed: ‘Ah Lord God! Behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard (difficult) for thee.’ (Jer.32:17) But here’s the definitive word mih breddren; the word of all words: ‘Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah, saying, Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for me?’ (Jer.32:26-27) And the unequivocal answer to that question my people, is a big, bold, NO! So, having finally discovered the truth of our God’s omnipotence, it’s now up to us to take hold of the baton and run the race He’s laid out for us, trusting Him to lead, guide and protect us every step of the way, as He has so faithfully promised. Trust me, or rather trust Him, for if you sincerely do that, you’ll never regret it. Much LOVE!…true wisdom is knowing the truth…and then steadfastly acting on it…

Oh Friends, it seems that ole man winter is finally catching up to us with cold temps and flurries of snow in my neck of the woods. But that’s okay, we’ll ride it out like we always do because of our faith, hope, trust and surrender to Almighty God. We know He’s a good God, who will never leave nor forsake us, and will work out all things in His people’s favour eventually, so bring on the winter! And I hear a lot of ‘Steups’ and ‘Chuhs’ in the background from our readers in the northern climes, wondering if I’m crazy. (smile) Who knows? I just might be. But here’s an interesting quote taken from Real Estate Agent, Rob Kelly’s Christmas pamphlet. The quote’s attributed to Terri Guillemets, and it says: ‘The colour of springtime is in the flowers, the colour of winter is in the imagination.’ And that’s so true Friends, because in winter the land is mostly white, covered with snow, or simply dark and harsh, with only drab, dead colours. Thus to spruce it up some, we have to use our imaginations, fool ourselves into thinking it’s so beautiful, otherwise the drabness and/or the total whiteness will drive us crazy. Now today’s Bit is something we all know, but don’t truly believe, else we’d put it into practice more often. ‘And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.’ He had just told His listeners that ‘It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.’ (Mark 10:25) Obviously they were all astonished and wondered who then could enter heaven. But our focus today is not on getting into heaven, but on all things being possible with God. And that’s because, as I said earlier, though we might think and talk it, deep down we don’t believe it, otherwise many of our decisions and actions would be entirely different. So let’s look at some scriptures that enhance or prove Jesus’ statement. And we’ll start way back when, with God promising Abraham and Sarah a son in their old age. Sarah laughed and Abraham, that man of great faith, was rather dubious. Hence the Lord’s admonition: ‘Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.’ (Gen.18:14) And when the time was ripe, Sarah, in her nineties, and Abraham, at one hundred, did have a son, Isaac, just as the Lord promised. (Gen.21) And if we turn to 2 Kings 19, when the Assyrians were threatening to overrun Judah, King Hezekiah made sincere obeisance to God. ‘And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said, O Lord God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubim, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth…Now therefore, O Lord our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord God, even thou only.’ (2 Kin.19:14,19) And what happened? The Lord sent Isaiah to talk to him, promising to defend Judah. And so said, so done! During the night the angel of the Lord smote the Assyrians. (2 Kin.19:34-36) Isaiah himself famously proclaimed: ‘Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? There is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint (weak); and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is.40:28-31) And why is that my people? Because our God is a great God, who can do all things! He made the heavens, the earth, and all therein and still controls everything that takes place in and around them, therefore nothing’s impossible to Him. Please let us believe that with all our heart, soul, body and mind, and also diligently act upon it, otherwise our faith will be seriously limited.  As Bruh Paul reassuringly declared: ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ (Phil.4:13) And that’s the gospel truth my people! More on this tomorrow, if we live to see another blessed day. Till then, please let’s LOVE our God, LIVE our Faith, and SPREAD His Word, as is our bounden duty. Much LOVE!…there’s only ONE God…who made everything…and can do anything…remember that…

Oh Friends, that beautiful day Monday is here again! (smile) No, I’m not wacko, for Monday is just as beautiful as any other day. We just don’t like it because we have to get up off of our fat fannies and go out and labour. And here’s the proof that Monday’s beautiful. It comes from the comic strip ‘Adam @ Home’ in the weekend papers.  Adam’s wife asks him: ‘Why do you read the obituaries? Don’t you get depressed?’ And Adam’s answer: ‘I don’t get depressed. I get inspired. Every day is a blessing. Every breath a gift.’ Oh Friends those are certainly words of immense truth! Everyday is truly a blessing from our wonderful God, and every breath a magnificent gift. So even if Monday is somewhat of a pain in the derrière, it’s still beautiful because it comes from God. As the hymn says: ‘All things bright and beautiful. All creatures great and small.’ And having established that Monday is not our enemy, but our friend, (smile) let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with great gusto, as we get ready to go out and do battle with the evil powers of the world. All together now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together. We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’ That brings us to our Bit: ‘Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.’ Oh Friends, yesterday we read how Moses instructed the Israelites, re the great commandment, (Deut.6) today we’ll look at some more warnings from Moses along the way to the Promised Land. ‘And now Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to LOVE him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul. To keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good (benefit).’ (Deut.10:12-13) Oh my brethren, that directive hasn’t changed since Moses spoke it, and thus still applies to us, the descendants of Abraham and followers of Jesus Christ. And we have to give Moses credit for perseverance, for later on, in talking of the blessings of the Promised Land, he reiterates: ‘And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken (obey) diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to LOVE the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.’ (Deut.11:13) Then their land would be blessed and they would prosper. And finally, in warning them about idolaters, he declares: ‘If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the Lord your God proveth (is testing) you, to know whether ye LOVE the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Ye shall walk after (follow) the Lord your God, and fear him, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave (hold fast to, cling) unto him.’ (Deut.13:1-4) But despite all these warnings, the Israelites soon forgot the God of their fathers, and paid a high price for their disobedience. Likewise Friends, our society has done the same thing, and I don’t have to point out the high price we’re currently paying for that disobedience. Oh my people, what’s wrong with us eh? Why are we allowing the idolaters among us to lead us astray and thus suffer the wrath and punishment of God? That doesn’t sound very wise, especially when we see the disastrous results it brought other societies. Please, let’s wake up and smell the roses nuh, and return to following the ONE TRUE God, Creator and omnipotent Ruler of the Universe; Yahweh. That’s the only way our society will survive. Much LOVE!…a word to the wise is sufficient…

Oh Friends, it’s a brand new day, and we’re still here on earth, alive and kicking, filled with a burning passion for God! Wow! What an honour! And all God’s people shouted up to heaven a grateful: ‘Thank You Lord! It’s truly good to be alive! We give you all the glory, and praise your Holy Name, now and forever! Amen’ Yes Friends, it’s sure good to be alive, regardless of all the negativity that’s happening in our world, because it gives us a chance to be involved in the great miracle of turning it around, in furthering God’s wonderful kingdom. Anyway, before we get into our Bit, I want to share some info from the scholars re the root and literal meanings of some words used interchangeably to describe God’s Word, especially in Psalm 119. It will give us better insights into what the authors of the Good Book were thinking when they used those words. According to the scholars: ‘The multifaceted character of God’s Word is revealed by at least eight key synonyms for it in the Psalm. (1) Law (torah) is the most frequent of the words. It comes from a verb meaning ‘to teach,’ and thus came to be applied to a wide range of revelation, from an individual directive to the entire Pentateuch (5 Books of Moses – from Genesis to Deuteronomy). It emphasizes that God has taught us in His Word what he requires of us. (2) Testimonies (edot) emphasizes the content of the Word as that which God has testified of Himself and His will. (3) Precepts (piqudim) refers to instructions from a superior regarding the duties of those under him, in this case from God to man. (4) Statutes (huqim) is related to a verb meaning ‘to engrave’ and thus implies permanent and unchangeable regulations. (5) Commandments (mitswot) is a word assuming the authority of the commander and the inherent necessity of obeying the content of the charge. (6) Judgements (mispatim) or ordinances refers to decisions God has made as a judge in order to make earthly behaviour conform to His heavenly standard. (7) Word (dabar) is an all-embracing term for God’s revelation in any form. (8) Word (imra) might also be translated ‘promise,’ though the translation does not distinguish it from the preceding term to whose meaning it relates closely. It comes from the verb ‘to say’ and assumes that the content of revelation is from the mouth of God. Other terms that seem to speak of God’s Word include ways, name, and faithfulness.’ So there we have it Friends, a breakdown of some of the words used to identify God’s communication with us. I sure hope it’s as enlightening to you, as it was to me. Now let’s turn to our Bit. ‘Blessed are they that keep his testimonies and that seek him with the whole heart.’ Like our Bit yesterday (Ps.119:1) it again tells and/or reminds of how to be blessed by God in this earthly life. We need to conform to the will of God, as written in His Word, and most important of all to seek Him with our whole hearts, with the very fibre of our beings, with everything that we possess. Remember that our first and foremost duty on earth is to glorify God through our words and deeds, and we can only do this by focusing on His Word and sincerely trying to walk humbly and LOVING like Jesus did. And this speech of Moses to the Israelites, re the great commandment, as they were trudging through the wilderness, just out of slavery in Egypt, on the way to the Promised Land, is possibly one of the most memorable and important passages of scripture. ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.’ (Deut.6:4-9) Oh Friends, yuh see how important the Word of the Lord ought to be in our lives! Wherever we go and whatever we do, it should always be before us, written both physically on something and also indelibly in our hearts. Everything we do should be based upon it. We’re also supposed to teach it to our children and have it circulating in our houses all the time. Hn! But sadly we have fallen down terribly on that aspect and thus our children have not received the proper instruction and guidance, hence their inordinate attachment to the lusts and trifles of this world. Oh my people, we only have ourselves to blame for whatever is taking place in our lives and world today. If we had followed the instructions given by Moses so long ago, we would surely have been living more prosperous lives, not only in terms of earthly possessions, but also in terms of spiritual wealth, close communication with the Father. But it’s NEVER too late to change Friends. As we keep saying, while there’s life there’s ALWAYS hope, so since we’re still alive, let’s seriously set out to raise our hopes and actions and do something positive about our sad and sorry world nuh. If we, believers in Christ want it to change, then WE have to bring about the change. Lucifer and his evil cohorts like things as they are, so they will not try to improve it, only to further destroy it. More on this tomorrow, if we’re still alive and kicking. (smile) Till then, please, let’s truly LOVE our God, LIVE our Faith, and SPREAD His Word. It’s the only way for us to prosper. Much LOVE!…if God’s our be all and end all…then it’s to Him we must turn for help…

Ah my wonderful Friends in Christ, it’s another bountiful day of blessings and mercies being bestowed on us from our heavenly Father! Wow! What an awesome and LOVING God we serve! Now our first and foremost bounty is the breath of life, that wonderful opportunity to see another day on planet earth, for which we should all be exceedingly thankful. Oh I know some of us would rather not see any more days on earth because of the sorry state of our world and our own, rough, impoverished circumstances, but we have to remember that while there’s life, there’s ALWAYS hope. That means hopeless looking situations can be turned around in the twinkling of an eye through our omnipotent God’s touch. So as believers we must NEVER give up, regardless of how desperate and hopeless our situation seems. And that’s exactly what our Bit today tries to make us understand. ‘Blessed are the undefiled (blameless) in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.’ Yes Friends, if we follow God’s law to the best of our ability, we shall surely be blessed, both down here on earth and in heaven. Psalm 128, the rewards of faithfulness, spells out some of those blessings. ‘Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord, that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labour of thy hands (fruit of thy labour): happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee. Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides (in the heart) of thine house: thy children like olive plants about thy table.’ (Ps.128:1-3) What more can we ask eh Friends than the prosperity of our labour, to be happy and contented without too many serious problems, our wives procreating plentifully, and our children strong and vibrant around us, and also serving the Lord?  Note too that the promise is made with certain assurance; if you follow the Lord, you will be blessed, as the next verse compellingly states. ‘Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord.’ (Ps.128:4) Furthermore, there’s no ambiguity about what’s required of us in the Lord’s Law, which comes from the Hebrew word ‘Torah’ meaning to teach, and emphasizes that God has taught us all we need to know in His Word. Answers to all questions can be found written in His Book, the Holy Bible. So there can be no excuses about what we should or shouldn’t do. Exodus 20:1-17, spells out the basics in the form of the Ten Commandments, and Jesus later paraphrased them down to two: ‘LOVE your God with your whole heart, soul, body and mind. And LOVE your neighbour as yourself.’ (Matt.22:37-40) In other words, if we simply follow those two dictates, we shall be blessed. And Friends, being blessed by following God’s law is nothing new. Adam heard that on day one: ‘And the Lord God commanded the man saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.’ (Gen.2:16-17) Obviously Adam didn’t listen and suffered the consequences of disobedience. Then Moses proclaimed it to the Israelites when they left bondage in Egypt, on the way to the Promise Land. ‘Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the Lord he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else. Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee (you may prosper), and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days (live long) upon the earth, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, for ever.’ (Deut.4:39-40) Later on, he again reminded them about the blessings of obedience: ‘Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken (listen) to these judgements, and keep, and do them, that the Lord thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers. And he will LOVE thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine (cattle), and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware (promised) unto thy fathers to give thee. Thou shalt be blessed above all people.’ (Deut.7:12-14) It’s all so straightforward Friends; follow the Lord’s will and you’ll be blessed, if not, you’ll suffer much calamity. We saw what happened to Adam, also to the Israelites when they didn’t obey God’s law, and unfortunately we’re doing the same thing today? Oh my people, our God is certainly a caring, LOVING, merciful and forgiving Deity, but when we blatantly go against His orders we’ll pay a terrible price. Just look at the price our ungodly, evil, violent, greedy, oppressive world is paying today. All of this could have been avoided if we hadn’t strayed from His law. He never said it would be all wine and roses, but He did guarantee a good, prosperous and fulfilling life for all those who faithfully followed His commandments. So if things aren’t going right with us, we may need to check how we’re walking with Almighty God, if we’re truly walking in His way. And to end, here’s another tidbit on the subject courtesy of Isaiah: ‘Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.’ (Is.3:10) It can’t get any clearer than that Friends, so please, let’s buckle down and truly follow God’s will, if we sincerely want to see long life and prosperous days nuh. It’s the only way. Much LOVE!…to walk with Jesus…is to live the good life with Him…